Rotary gets new leader

It was an evening of glitz and glam at the La Cuccina Restaurant on Tuesday June 28 with the induction of the new president, Hans Kuhn.

Mr Kuhn took over the reins from Peter Dutton, who served his year as president formidably, playing an active role in community projects such as the Eyethu Skate Park and the Little Angels Day Care centre, to mention a few.

Mr Kuhn , a Swiss national was a chartered member of the Rotary in Switzerland in 1981 and came to South Africa in 2003. He joined the Rotary Club of Hout Bay shortly afterwards and has a passion for working with the youth.

He said in his 2016/2017 year of presidency he aims to keep up the good work the Rotary Club of Hout Bay has done so far.

“To do so the club needs new members, and I would like to focus on new memberships and fund-raising,” he said.

He added he would also like to raise public awareness about the good work done by the club.

A group of students – aged between 20 and 26 – who are to become members of one of the Rotary’s youth initiatives, Rotaract Club, were also among the guests, and they were celebrating the induction of their group’s president, Pumelela Tomtala.

Mr Tomtala said It was a great honour for him to be elected as Rotaract president.

“Clearly, there is something the Rotary of Hout Bay saw in me. I have a tenacious board and other members that are working alongside me to fulfil the Rotaract Club vision as I cannot do it myself.

“I hope in this term, my team and I will be able to influence the youth of Hout Bay and help renew their mindset and reveal to them endless possibilities out there.

“We will mainly be focusing on moulding role models that will continue to build the chain of successful, compassionate young leaders of Hout Bay in the near future,” he said.

The Rotary Club of Hout Bay supports more than 100 young people in Imizamo Yethu and Hangberg with two Interact Clubs, one at Silikamva High and one at Hout Bay High School, as well as an Early Act Club at Sentinel Primary School.